Children and Young People’s Plan 2014-2018
Consultation Report
July 2014
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July 2014
Acknowledgements
This report was compiled by the Hobsons Bay Strategy and Advocacy Department. For further information contact the Hobsons Bay City Council on 9932 1000 www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au
The Council acknowledges the people of Yalukit Wilum of the Boon Wurrung Country that makes up the Greater Kulin Nation as the traditional owners of these municipal lands.
The Council acknowledges the legal responsibility to comply with the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 and the Equal Opportunity Act 2010. The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities is designed to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens. The Charter gives legal protection to 20 fundamental human rights under four key values that include freedom, respect, equality and dignity.
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Contents
Executive Summary 4
Introduction 6
Methodology 6
Survey 6
Vox Pops 7
Focus Groups 7
Sample 8
Results 9
0 to 5 Years 9
5 to 11 years 11
12 to 25 years 13
Parents 18
Service Providers 23
Discussion 25
0 to 5 Years 25
5 to 11 years 26
12 to 25 Years 26
Parents 27
Service Providers 27
Recommendations 28
References 30
Appendices 31
Executive Summary
The Children and Young People’s Plan 2014-2018 (the plan) provides a holistic approach to planning for children and young people, from birth to 25 years, inclusive of their families. This is the first time the needs and aspirations of children and young people have been integrated into one policy.
The Children and Young People’s Plan 2014-2018 (the plan) outlines the strategic goals and objectives to improve health and wellbeing for children and young people who live, study or work in Hobsons Bay over the next four years. The Plan has been informed by research and has been developed in consultation with children and young people, their families as well as the community and service providers.
Essential to the development of this plan was engaging with children and young people to find out what they like, value and need for their future health and wellbeing. Surveys, voxpops and focus groups were held with children, young people, parents, carers, schools and service providers. In total more than 900 people were consulted.
The community consultation was based on the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
What do you like and value most about Hobsons Bay?
The consultation highlighted that children, young people, parents and carers unanimously agree that parks and recreational space (including swimming pools) are essential to the wellbeing of all community members and like their close proximity. In addition children and young people expressed the high value they place on family and friendships, especially local opportunities to socialise and play together; equally enjoying the friendliness and community feel of Hobsons Bay. People also liked how peaceful safe and quiet the municipality is.
What improvements could be made in Hobsons Bay?
Whilst those consulted were generally happy in Hobsons Bay they identified a number of areas for improvement. Children indicated that they would like the opportunity to increase friendships with their neighbours.
Children, young people, parents, carers and service providers all spoke of the limitations of the public transport service and integrated transport opportunities in Hobsons Bay. This is of particular importance to young people as it is their primary means of transportation.
Improvements to parks, facilities and services that welcome and cater for all age groups was also indicated as a need for improvement, especially to ensure services are accessible and meet the needs of children and young people.
What do children and young people need for their future?
To provide the best possible future for our children and young people, accessible learning opportunities for all ages and abilities need to be available. In addition local employment opportunities need to be capitalised and inclusion of young people to help secure successful futures.
The ability to participate in community life and to be socially included is protective of wellbeing, and requires being able to move around the municipality to access services, employment, education and recreation options. Children, young people, their families and service providers all highlighted the importance of an integrated transport system within municipality.
Health and wellbeing services that are accessible and meet the needs of children and young people, including mental health provision for young people, outreach maternal child health nurses for children and their parents as well as access to allied health services.
A socially inclusive society that fosters a sense of belonging and allows children and young people to feel safe; making friends with a diverse range of people who live, work and recreate locally.
The provision of places and spaces that are welcoming to a variety of age groups, allowing families to spend time together and be equally engaged. Together with building play into the fabric of our community to help ensure children and young people feel valued and included.
What should the Council work on for children and young people over the next four years?
Overall, the top five aspects for the Council to focus their work on between 2014 and 2018 include:
· Maintaining and improving parks, opens spaces and facilities that meet the needs of children and young people;
· Considering and engaging children and young people in the Council’s decisions making processes;
· Advocating for accessible health and wellbeing services and programs for children and young people;
· Advocating for improved public transport; and
· Strengthening learning and play opportunities within the Council’s programs, infrastructure, facilities and services.
Next Steps
The community views, concerns and ideas captured through this consultation will be used to inform the development of the Council’s Children and Young People’s Plan 2014 - 2018.
Introduction
Between June and October 2013, the Council undertook an in-depth consultation with children and young people (those aged 0 to 25 years) who live, work, play and visit Hobsons Bay as well as parents, carers, and services providers. In total, over 900 community members were involved in the consultation.
The purpose of the consultation was to build on the Council’s current knowledge, further understanding the needs, engaging and listening to the voices of children and young people sharing their thoughts about how Hobsons Bay could be a better place. The results from the consultation have been used to support the development of the Children and Young People’s Plan 2014-2018. This report provides an overview of the consultation, methodology, findings and recommendations.
Methodology
The consultation for the Children and Youth Plan 2014-2018 involved a variety of methods including surveys, voxpops and focus groups. It was held across the municipality in a range of settings including skate parks, recreation centres, the Substation, shopping centres, libraries, community centres, and key festivals. In total more than 900 children, young people, parents, carers, schools and service providers were consulted.
The consultation was divided into the following cohorts:
· zero to five years
· five to 11 years
· 12 to 25 years
· parents and carers
· service providers, including council services, housing providers, education, children and youth specific services
Five year olds were included in two cohorts as they are often in transition between both early years settings and primary school settings.
Due to the range of differing cohorts involved in the consultation several methods of consultation were needed to enable as many people as possible to be engaged in the process. As such three key methods were used; surveys, vox pops, and focus groups. These are further explained below. Each method was tailored for each cohort.
Survey
Four surveys were developed that targeted each of the following cohorts (see appendix 1-4):
· five to 11 years
· 12 to 25 years
· parents and carers
· service providers
While each survey used questions based on key themes, the language was altered to suit the audience. Surveys were available online and via hard copies distributed to libraries, community centres, schools, immunisation sessions, and through Maternal and Child Health sessions. Surveys were also handed out during community events and at key locations as well as distributed through existing networks.
Vox Pops[1]
Vox pops were implemented via a peer-lead method. Trade Creative, a collection of young local digital creators, and local students, were engaged to interview and record vox pops over a two month period at events and locations around Hobsons Bay, including libraries, skate parks, the Eid Festival, Freeza, shopping centres and sports facilities. Children and young people involved in the vox Pops were asked three questions:
1. Describe your neighbourhood in three words
2. Rate Hobsons Bay out of 5
3. If you were Mayor what would you change about the area you live
Focus Groups
Focus groups were used to further understand the needs of key groups across the municipality. This included children aged two to five years, primary school children, and young people from a culturally and linguistically diverse background. The table below presents a summary of the focus groups and key questions.
Table 1: Summary of Focus Groups
Target Group / Number of Participants / Activities/Key QuestionsTwo to Five Years / 47 children from across Hobsons Bay consulted across seven sessions in early years settings / Activity 1: Children were asked to draw their favourite place in the local area and then asked a series of questions on their drawing.
Activity 2: Photos of places within the local area were taken and children were asked to indicate their likes and dislikes through putting a smiley or sad sticker on each photo.
Activity 3: In small groups children were asked to discuss what they wish for and what could make them happier. They made each wish with a magic wand.
Altona Meadows Focus Group / 10 primary school students / What do you like about living in Altona Meadows?
What do you not like about living in Altona Meadows?
What would make it a better place to live?
New and Emerging Communities Youth Leadership Reunion / 80 young people from new and emerging communities / Finish the following statements:
Statement 1: “I am happy in Hobsons Bay because…”
Statement 2: “I would be happier in Hobsons Bay if…”
Sample Size
In total 971 people were consulted. As shown in the figure below, there was a good representation of the five to 25 year olds, parents and service providers. Resources needed to consults with the zero to five year olds were much greater than the other cohorts, hence the reach was not as large as the other groups.
The figure below should be read with caution as it only represents the number consulted in each cohort. As some ages within the cohorts cross over and the age ranges within each cohort vary, comparison in numbers cannot be made.
Figure 1: Number of children, young people, parents and service providers consulted
Results
0 to 5 Years
The consultation with zero to five years olds was delivered through focus groups with two to five year olds and surveys with parents. Below are the results from the focus groups. The parent’s feedback has been included in the parent’s results section on page 18.
The key outcomes from the focus groups with the children were around four key themes:
1. Nature, open space and recreational areas
2. Social and entertainment
3. Education
4. Transport and access
The results from these themes are summarised below.
1. Nature, open spaces and recreational areas
Through their drawings and the description of their drawings, children provided specific aspects or elements attributed to their favourite outdoor and recreational places and spaces. These include:
· playgrounds and parks
· nature and animals
· other recreational areas
The most popular outdoor activities included going to the beach, fishing and riding a bike.
2. Social and entertainment
Social and entertainment was another key theme that children rated highly and included three main areas:
· family and friends: this was referred to by three quarters of the children, indicating that family and friends are of a high importance
· entertainment: this rated high amongst the children’s interests, referring to entertainment topics 24 times. Entertainment references included: food, visiting places and excursions, and music and dancing. Popular excursions mentioned were to fire stations, Scienceworks and museums. Food referenced included sweets and ice cream
· commercial spaces: this included shopping centres/markets, restaurants and play centres
Overall, of the majority of social and entertainment opportunities children liked, they liked to do with their families and friends, outside of the family home.
3. Education
Education was referred to a total of nine times. This was divided into two categories: kindergarten and school, and reading and the library. The consultation indicated that children liked the anticipation of attending school and talked about enjoying kindergarten. Reading and the library also had positive associations.
4. Transport and access
Transport was drawn or mentioned by participants 16 times. The theme was then sub-divided into a) sustainable transport (e.g. bike, walk, bus and train) and b) private vehicles (e.g. cars).
Sustainable transport was more commonly referred to than private vehicles. As shown in the below graph, more than three quarters of participants reported using sustainable transport such as bicycle (32%), walking (25%), going on the bus (12%) and going on the train (13%). In contrast only 14 per cent of children reported travelling by car. Some children referred to more than one means of transport.
Children’s hopes and dreams
Children were also asked to hold a ‘magic wand’ and tell the group about their hopes and dreams for the future. The common themes were: playground equipment, imagination, animals and nature, and food.
Places wished for were predominantly parks and playgrounds in close proximity to the home. One child wished for better integration and design of places, stating “a café next to the playground will help parents get their kids to the playground.” Children were also specific about the kinds of equipment they would like in the parks including water slides, cubby houses, swings, trampolines and sea-saws.